Early Astronomy

The earliest investigations that can be called scientific are concerned with the sky; they are the beginnings of astronomy. Many early civilizations produced astronomical texts, and several cultures that left no written records left monuments and artifacts - ranging from rock paintings to Stonehenge - that show a clear interest in astronomy. Civilizations in China, Mesopotamia, India, and Greece had highly developed astronomies, and the astronomy of the Mayas was by no means negligible. Greek astronomy, as developed by medieval Arab philosophers, evolved into the astronomy of Copernicus. This…